1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lifting components for shelving. More particularly, it relates to an adjustable member adaptable to engage large storage and display structures such as retail store display cases commonly known as gondolas, which employ a system of legs for support of shelves on a floor surface.
2. Prior Art
Storage and display shelving and cases are conventionally employed to display goods for customers visiting the store. Because floor space in most retail stores is at such a premium, and in order to conserve floor space in retail and commercial situations and to provide better viewing and access to products, shelving is commonly employed to hold products. In a retail setting such shelving is generally arranged to form aisles for customers to traverse through adjacent shelf structures. The vertically stacked shelves in this configuration give the customers and users a much better view of the products being stored and allow for much more merchandise to be displayed above a small footprint on the floor.
All such shelving and cabinets must be structurally configured to support the load of merchandise intended. This structural support, being generally metal, makes the shelving heavy. The elevated inventory on the shelves can increase the total weight of the shelf supporting it to a multiple many times that of the shelf itself.
A vexing problem of such shelving, by nature of its need to support a load, is the elevated weight rendering the shelves ungainly. This is especially true when such shelving is loaded with heavy products for sale such as canned goods in a supermarket or in warehouse situations where large heavy articles are stored on very tall shelves.
A variety of jacks and dollies have been introduced in the past, most of which pertain to the lifting of shelving which employs vertical support legs with an adjustable leveling foot extending from a bottom end. However, most conventional products used for this purpose fail to provide a unified system of components, to lift, move, and subsequently re-place the shelf in position. Instead, conventional systems employ various jacks, forklifts and such for the purpose. This results in much time wasted and often damaged shelving from the ill-designed devices employed.
This is especially true when the moving of shelves is required during the remodeling or renovation of retail stores such as grocery stores, drug stores and the like. Warehouses are also frequently reorganized and require movement of the ungainly pallet holding shelves which hold heavy elevated loads.
During such a reorganizing or remodeling process it is often necessary to move pallet type shelving or large display cases, conventionally known as gondolas, which hold everything from tooth paste to canned soup. Moving them generally requires repositioning the shelves or gondolas from one part of the store to another. Often during a store remodeling or warehouse reorganizing process, the shelves will need to be moved multiple times to allow for various phases of construction and repositioning of merchandise to new locations.
The placement of heavy products on the shelves in an elevated position from the floor also makes the shelves ungainly and predisposed to tip when elevated with products remaining on the shelves. However, with the cost of labor and time involved, removing and replacing the products each time the display case is to be relocated can be especially expensive and can also play havoc with the short time schedules allotted for the remodeling process to minimize lost sales. As such, the ability to move display cases and other heavy storage devices while fully loaded with products or other stored items is highly desirable.
Various dollies and jacks have been provided in the past for lifting and moving such shelving. Consequently, transport by floor jack or flat dollies is not an option. However such lifting devices generally only engage part of the shelf being lifted placing great strain on the shelf structural components which may not have been originally intended by the shelf manufacturer.
As a consequence, there is a continuing unmet need for an improved device and system of components which provides for easy, quick, and safe movement of large heavily loaded pallet shelving in warehouses and store display cases and gondolas. Such a system should be easily customized to lift different shelves having different widths. Additionally, such a system should engage cross members of the shelf being lifted in a manner to allow the members to fully support the load of the shelf as designed and not risk structural failure by attaching to only a portion thereof.